Spring Hill man gets 15-year sentence for sex crimes

BROOKSVILLE — A 35-year-old Spring Hill man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple sex crimes against a teenage girl.

As part of a negotiated deal with prosecutors, John Daniel Packan pleaded guilty to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery, one count of lewd and lascivious molestation and one count of making a written threat to do harm. Prosecutors say he had sex with a teenage girl in September 2013 and then sent her a threatening text message.

Packan must also serve 15 years of sex offender probation after his release.

Defense attorney Jimmy Brown said the guilty plea was in Packan's best interest. If convicted, he faced up to life in prison because of his lengthy criminal history. He has more than 50 prior convictions, though none for sex offenses.

Sentencing guidelines called for a minimum prison term of 21 years, but Assistant State Attorney Erin Daly told Judge Stephen E. Toner Jr. that the deal would spare the victim from testifying at trial.